Fennel Pepper Saute

When I first encountered the whackadoo vegetable/herb/spice known as fennel, I was admittedly at a loss. I hadn’t prepared or eaten fennel before, so I had no idea how to prepare it, how it tasted, or what I should serve it with. Fortunately, I like a good food-related challenge and am also a Google enthusiast. Lo and behold, with a pinch of Google and a dash of inventiveness, I turned my challenge into a success.

This recipe is similar to my Fennel Onion Saute, save for the fact that it uses fennel stalks (instead of the fennel bulb), garlic, and red bell pepper. The fennel bulb and stalks can be prepared together, however I chose to use them separately to better understand their preparation- and flavor-based differences, among others. The fennel stalks had a slightly different texture, and they took a bit longer to saute, but they were no less delicious than the fennel bulb itself.

Remove and discard any/all leaves, small branches, and top ends from large stalks. Wash, shake off excess water, and slice across stalks to create ~1/4 inch pieces. Wash, halve, and de-stem/seed red bell pepper. Dice one of the halves. Chop 1/4 from large red onion. Remove outer peel/hard core and dice. Remove peel/tops from 4 large garlic cloves and finely dice.